“So you brought plants?”
“She’s from a farm, right?” He shrugged again. “I thought she might like something that reminded her of home.”
Irritated that Rampage had thought of something he hadn’t, Swift nevertheless stepped aside and waved his friend inside. “I’m sure she’ll love them.”
“What will I love?” Alys asked, joining them in the entryway. “Oh! Are those for me?” She beamed at Rampage. “Thank you!”
“You’re welcome.” He handed over the two small plants, one a green leafy thing with short vines and the other a bright violet flower on a woody stem. “They have a code on those cards that you can scan with your tablet for information and instructions on their care.”
“It’s a chicken!” Alys laughed and lifted the green leafy plant for Swift to inspect. “The pot is a chicken!”
Swift’s insides melted at the silly smile on Alys’ face as she admired the chicken-shaped pot. “Yes, it is.”
“It looks like Cluck-Cluck,” she said with a laugh and carried the plants to their table. “That’s what my youngest brother named one of his hens. He calls the other one Bock-Bock.”
Swift noticed the brief expression of sadness on her lovely face as she placed the two pots on the table. She hadn’t spoken much of her family today, and he realized she wasn’t talking about them because it hurt to be away from them. No matter what she had endured at the hands of her asshole father, she loved her siblings and mother. She had taken care of her family day in and day out for years. It would be hard for her to adjust to that loss.
“Dinner is ready.” She recovered from that slip of sadness and gestured to the table. “Please sit.”
Swift followed Alys to the kitchen and helped her bring the dishes she had cooked out to the small dining area. Rampage stood behind a chair, waiting for Alys to sit before he did. Once they were all situated, Rampage picked up his fork, ready to tear into his meal, but Swift gently whacked his foot under the table. He cast a meaningful look at Alys who had her head bowed to pray. Rampage blanched and placed his fork down as quietly as possible.
A moment later, Alys finished her short prayer. She seemed to realize they were waiting for her. “Oh, you don’t have to wait. I don’t mind.”
“I do,” Swift said, holding her gaze. Within their home, her beliefs would be respected, and he would expect anyone who visited them to respect them as well.
“Thank you,” she said with a soft smile. “Please,” she gestured to the food, “help yourselves.”
Rampage didn’t have to be told twice. Alys seemed amused by his enthusiasm for her pot roast and vegetables. When he took two slices of bread, she said, “Swift made that bread for us.”
“You bake?” Rampage’s hand hovered over his plate as if he were uncertain he wanted the bread after all.
“I had appropriate supervision,” he grumbled.
“Well, in that case,” Rampage said and dropped the bread onto his plate. “I’ll take my chances.”
“Don’t forget the butter.” Alys pushed the rectangular container toward Rampage. “I set it out so it’s nice and soft.” She frowned at the plastic container. “We really need to get a butter dish.”
“A what dish?” Rampage glanced at Swift.
“Oh, you wouldn’t believe how many different types of plates and dishes there are. I’ve been learning all about them the last hour or so.” Swift cast a tender glance at Alys who scowled at his teasing. “Bread plates, salad plates, gravy boats, soup bowls, dessert plates, casserole dishes, pie plates, cake tins, saucers, teacups—.”
“Okay!” Alys shook her head. “You can stop now.”
“No, no. I don’t want to forget the rest of them. Serving platters and—.”
“Where would you store all of these dishes?” Rampage wondered, looking over at the kitchen.
“Well, there’s always that extra space in our bedroom that isn’t being used.” Alys offered Swift a saucy look that sent a jolt of heat straight to his groin.
Rampage studiously ignored the interaction between man and mate, and Swift sent Alys a smoldering look that promised she would see the inside of that room soon enough. Dinner continued, and the meal was even more delicious than he could have imagined. There were flavors from the various herbs and spices Alys had procured at the shop that he had never before tasted.
Judging by the state of Rampage’s scraped clean plate after two helpings, he enjoyed the meal as well. Alys brought out dessert, some kind of thin cake with slices of brightly covered fruit arranged on top. Swift realized she had been making it while he was in his office going through messages and reading the end of day briefing. The sight of the beautiful dessert and the care she had taken in making it filled him with appreciation and pride.
As she smiled at him from the other end of the table, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the luckiest man on the ship. Grabbing Alys had been the smartest thing he had ever done. He imagined her at his side with their growing family as he climbed the ranks to commander and, hopefully, one day, an admiral. There was no better mate for him than Alys who only wanted to support her husband and love her family.
After dinner, he helped gather up the dirty dishes and trailed her into the kitchen. “I can handle these.”
“No.” She shooed him away with a wave of her hands. “You and Rampage go talk about man things while I tidy up in here.”
“Man things?” He raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. “Back home, the men always sat around and drank beer or something a bit stronger while talking about the weather or crop prices or the demand for beef in The City.”
“Well, I can absolutely guarantee we won’t be talking about any of those things.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “If you want to join us when you’re done, we’ll be in my office.”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll probably curl up to read for a bit.”
“Okay.” He kissed her one more time before grabbing two bottles of beer from the refrigerator. He held one out to Rampage. “Office?”
“Sure.” Rampage took the bottle and followed him into the room. Swift tapped the frame to shut the door and sank down in one of the comfortable chairs across from his desk. Rampage sat in the other one and twisted the cap of his beer. After a sip, he leaned back and stretched out his legs. “If word gets around that Alys cooks that good and looks that pretty, some idiot will try to steal her.”
Swift grunted and sipped his beer. “I suppose it would serve me right for someone to try.”
“Hopefully, you’ll stay on your feet this time.”
“You just had to get that dig in,” Swift groused. Even all these months later, he could still feel the burst of pain from Raze’s fist.
Rampage laughed and then, more seriously, asked, “Did you recognize...?”
He didn’t have to finish the sentence. Swift instantly knew what he meant. “No, I didn’t.”
“Neither did I.” Rampage looked troubled by that. “I was called in to see—.” He tapped his eye, and Swift understood he meant Terror. “I wasn’t able to give them anything they didn’t already know.”